Today is the big day for Americans still clinging to analog TVs and rabbit ears. For those folks that haven't already picked up a DTV converter box to translate the new digital signals, their TVs will now be relegated to useless lumps of plastic, metal, and glass.

Despite the extra time afforded to Americans to prepare for the DTV switch, additional funds for DTV coupons, and free assistance provided to setup converter boxes, the New York Times reported that roughly 2 million households will still be unprepared for today's switchover.

For those using cable, satellite, or digital TVs with an antenna, you have nothing to worry about -- your TV programming will be unaffected.

For more information on the DTV switch, you can check out the official website here.

Comments

Threshold

Username

Password

remember me

This article is over a month old, voting and posting comments is disabled

You know, this is one of the issues with "unprepared homes". Some - probably even *MOST* of these unprepared home - quite simply don't *LIVE* near enough to a broadcast tower. To *theoretically* get a signal, we'd need a pretty high mast, and a really good amp. The nearest tower (in two directions) is 60-75 miles, and as this is fairly hilly, wooded territory, we're kinda of in some shadows. The low channels, up to 7 or 10, would come in before. The higher channels never would, even as analog. Now, to expect the *DIGITAL* ones to get to us? Of course, most of the East and West Coast's idea of preparing, if you live in a rural area, is "move to a city!" Thanks, but no thanks. I think you can expect to see a rise in sneakernet piracy of TV shows, even things like the nightly news.

Folks, "everybody" != "a majority", not even "a vast majority". So *NOT* everybody is in any kind of position *to* get digital over-the-air broadcasts. It's not unprepared - it's mis-positioned.

The glaring proof of your fallacy is that people in the boone docks, only expect to get the same channels they did previously.

You are right though, in having mentioned this, but the point is with modern coverter boxes, at least they have a signal strength indicator so when they swing their antenna, they know if it helps or hurts reception.

Well FWIW I live in a suburb of San Diego and my rabbit ears get one English station and one -- if I'm lucky -- Spanish station. Of course, I only got about one and a half stations before... but I guess I should be lucky as CBS is now static free...